Everything
by laffers18
Summary: Post Daredevil. Pre Blizzard. One drunk and angry anthropologist. One unrepentant FBI Agent. One night. And a whole lot of truth.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I realise I have a few other things I should be working on right now (and when i say a few i mean 5! LOL) but this came to me and I decided that anything was better than nothing ;)**

**It's set post Daredevil by pre Blizzard. It came to me in NYC and this is the first time i've been able to get it on paper...well, not paper but you know what i mean!**

**Thank you to the awesome ProfeJMarie for assuring me it wasn't complete crap. *mwah***

**It's also a very belated birthday present to one of my favourite people ever. So Happy Birthday Xander...sorry it's late!  
**

Temperance Brennan downed her fifth (or was it sixth?) shot of scotch before she signalled for another with a careless flick of her wrist.

"Barkeep" she called, waiting for him to approach her side of the bar. "Hit me" she ordered with a slap to the surface in front of her. "Figuratively speaking." She clarified, fixing her eyes on his to ensure he understood. "Not literally. I don't want you to literally hit me...just figuratively. With another drink. Figuratively" she said with a nod of her head, content that she had explained herself clearly.

The man behind the bar sent her a concerned glance as he reached for her poison of choice. He wasn't used to seeing the fine doctor in front of him alone and that in itself worried him. Three years he'd been working behind the bar, struggling to put himself through college, and he had grown to know and care for a select few of their regulars. The woman in front of him was his personal favourite, along with her partner. You knew as soon as they entered the establishment that you were in for an...interesting time. He'd overheard more than one conversation between them in his time and he'd never known two people to disagree so...joyfully. It was almost as if they revelled in their arguments and he'd come to think of it as their own particular brand of foreplay.

The sound of a glass hitting the bar shook him out of his thoughts and he glanced down to find the object of his musings rubbing a hand across her mouth as she signalled for yet another drink. She had a grin plastered on her face but that couldn't hide the emotions swirling in her eyes.

"Dr Brennan don't you think you should..." he began tentatively only to be shot down.

"I think I should have another drink. And I think you should serve it to me." She said firmly, fire in her eyes as she dared him to defy her. "That is your job. Correct?"

"Of course Dr Brennan" he poured the drink, his face a stoic mask as he did as she demanded. He turned to leave but the feel of a gentle hand on his arm caused him to freeze.

"Sorry James." She said contritely, an apologetic look on her face. He glanced at her in shock, his mouth opening slightly in surprise at the use of his name. "You've worked here three years. Even I can remember someone's name in that time." She said with a wry smile. "I shouldn't take my...frustrations out on you. I apologise profusely." Sincerity shone from her eyes, her gaze locked on his as she waited to see if he forgave her.

"No problem Dr Brennan." He accepted her apology with a small shrug, the feel of her gaze on his unnerving him more than he liked to admit. She really was an incredibly beautiful woman. And her eyes...

"Temperance."

"Huh?" James answered distractedly.

"Call me Temperance. After all...we have spent many an evening together." Her grin turned decidedly wicked as his eyes widened. "In a manner of speaking" she added, watching as he finally caught on to her meaning. A slight blush appeared on his cheeks when he realised she knew where his mind had gone...and that she looked decidedly pleased with that knowledge.

James poured her another shot to give himself something to do, with the added hope that it would prevent her from teasing him again. Brennan picked up the glass and threw it back, enjoying the slight burning sensation as the drink hit the back of her throat. She watched James over her glass, her mind pondering the possibilities as she admired his blonde good looks and the way his shirt clung to his well defined muscles. He was a very attractive man, she conceded, finding it hard to understand how she had only just come to notice this fact about him. And he had the most beautiful green eyes, she thought. Kind eyes.

She was also intoxicated enough to admit to herself that part of his appeal was the complete contrast between him and her frustrating, maddening and arrogant partner. The very partner who was the cause of her plan to drink herself into oblivion. Or at least that had been her plan, but as she watched James work around her another plan began to form in her mind. Not one she was particularly proud of but, she reasoned, no one would get hurt and it would give her the opportunity to release some of the tension she had been feeling lately. And if the evening went really well it may release all of the tension she had been feeling.

She watched as he headed to the other end of the bar to serve someone else, her eyes tracking his movements as she continued to argue with herself. As per usual her heart and head were in conflict. Her head was urging her to go through with her new plan...the opportunity to satisfy her more basic urges with an attractive male was too good to resist. And, her brain argued, her focus at work would be greatly improved if she could concentrate for longer than ten minutes. But her heart...her heart was pointing out that she had long ago stopped wanting to satisfy her urges with men she picked up in bars. For the last two years she had only wanted to satisfy her urges with one man. A man with dark brown hair, a perfectly proportioned body, eyes that could see through you to your darkest thoughts, and a heart more beautiful than she could describe.

She rested her arms on the bar and her head in her hands, a weary sigh escaping her lips as she realised her decision was already made. Her hands clenched into fists as she acknowledged that there had never been a decision to be made, not really. And as irrational as it was that thought angered her. He had made his decision and still...still he dictated the choices she made. And after this evening...after what he had done this evening. She sighed again...she should no longer care about him but yet she did. She could hate him for that alone.

James wandered back down to her end of the bar, the smile on his face diminishing as he saw the dejected slump to her shoulders as she leant on the bar. He opened his mouth to speak but the sound of the door opening draw his attention. He watched as a man stood in the doorway for a second, his smile widening in recognition. He watched as the man entered the bar, his movements slow as his eyes searched the room. His gaze rested on the woman slumped over the bar and his movements stopped for a second before he squared his shoulders and strode towards her, oblivious to the looks he was receiving from both woman and men as he made his way across the room. He pulled out a stool and sat down next to Brennan, giving James a nod of thanks as he placed a beer in front of him.

Brennan felt her body stiffen as someone was seated next to her. She was in no mood for company this evening and she resented the coming intrusion.

"I already have a drink and i'm not looking for company so you're wasting your time." She stated coldly without looking up.

"That's too bad Bones. I've only just arrived so you're stuck with me."

At the sound of his voice Brennan shot up in her seat, her eyes narrowing as she met the steady gaze of the man seated next to her. She instinctively shifted to move away from him but a hand on her leg stilled her, the grip firm as it prevented her from leaving. She stared down at it, the feel of his hand on her body affecting her more than she would have liked. Her gaze narrowed and she tried to move her knee but the hand on her leg only tightened. She moved her own hand to his wrist, her own grip sure as she looked up at him. Booth read the threat in her eyes, the image of his partner breaking Epps wrist with a flick of her hand racing through his mind. He was tempted to leave his hand on her leg, mildly curious to see if she would do as she threatened but in the end he thought better of it. No need for this conversation to deteriorate so soon...there was plenty of time for that to happen later.

He removed his hand slowly, his gaze locked on hers as he urged her to stay. She shifted her body away from him when she was free but she stayed seated, curious in spite of herself. He was the last person she had expected to see, especially after their last...confrontation.

"What are you doing here Booth?" she asked into the silence, her eyes demanding answers.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok." He said quietly. Brennan scoffed at his softly spoken words. Annoyance flashed crossed his face before he made an effort to mask it, acknowledging to himself that she had her reasons for doubting his sincerity.

"You wanted to make sure _I_ was ok?" she asked. A smile was on her face but it wasn't a pleasant one. It was too cold...too hard. "Why wouldn't I be ok Booth? What possible reason could I have for being anything OTHER than ok?" Her voice rose on the last word, her anger and frustration palpable.

"Look Bones. I understand you're angry with me but..."

"Angry?" Brennan exclaimed on a harsh laugh. "Does that really surprise you Booth?" she asked rhetorically. She swung around on her stool, facing him for the first time. She leant forward towards him. "I'm not supposed to be here, am I Booth? I was supposed to be enjoying the remnants of my date." She took some perverse pleasure in the darkening in his eyes at the mention of her date. "Maybe we'd have been lingering over drinks. Maybe we'd be having coffee. At his place. At mine." She added with a wicked smile. "At no point was I supposed to be here. Alone. But I am. And we both know why, don't we?"

Booth watched her as she spoke, unable to draw her eyes away from her. Her beautiful blue eyes were flashing and her body was nearly vibrating with emotion.

"Because you..." She poked a finger into his firm stomach "couldn't let me have this one night, could you? One night Booth...was that too much to ask? I did as you asked...I've been who you wanted me to be yet still it's not enough, is it? What do you want from me Booth?" Brennan demanded to know, her breath coming hard and fast as she spoke. "What?"

Booth watched her, his gaze intense as he heard the pleading note in her voice. His mind raced as he tried to find the words to explain himself. Silence stretched between, their eyes locked on one another. Minutes or hours could have passed before he finally spoke, revealing the first real truth between them in far too long.

"Everything."

**A/N Part 2 will be up soon...well, Laffers soon so your guess is as good as mine**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I was incredibly incredibly tempted to leave this as a stand alone OS but i just couldn't. **

**This was supposed to be a 2 shot but now it is a 3 shot. I just wanted a calm before the storm so to speak.**

**Let me know what you think and hopefully Part 3 shouldn't be too long in coming ;)**

**Thanks again to Janet for running her experianced eye over it *mwah***

Booth couldn't say who was more shocked, Brennan or himself. He held his breath as he sat silently besides her, taking a long drag of his drink as he waited for the inevitable. He knew he had no right to say it and honestly, he couldn't tell you why he let it slip. He only knew that now it was out there he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Things had been strained between them for the past few weeks and the events of that evening had been the last straw. For both of them.

"James."

Brennans shout shocked Booth out of his musings and he watched as the barman made his way towards them.

"Another please." She demanded with a twist of her lips, her mouth forming a mocking parody of her usual smile.

"Of course Dr Brennan...Temperance" he corrected at her hard glare as her poured her one final drink.

Booth watched the interaction between the two, unable to help but resent the familiarity the younger man had with his...partner.

"What do i owe you?" She asked after she'd downed the drink, barely tasting the smooth liquid.

James named the sum of the evening and she slammed the required amount on the table, adding a sizeable tip for his troubles. She didn't even spare a glance at her partner, choosing instead to turn away from him to hop off her stool, stumbling only for a second before she headed towards the exit.

James watched her go in confusion, unsure what happened between the partners to cause her to leave so suddenly. The niggling suspicion that the man still sat staring at the now closed door was the reason for her mood that evening crossed his mind and his previously amicable feelings for him soured slightly.

Booth sat frozen to his stool, unable to believe that she had left without a second glance at him. He didn't know how long he sat staring at the door she had exited but after a time he could feel himself growing angrier. Who was she to just walk out on him without a backwards glance? He deserved...something. Some kind of reaction. If the more rational side of him whispered to him that her walking out WAS her reaction he chose to ignore it. He wanted...no, he needed more from her.

He glanced up to find the bartender looking at him and he wasn't best pleased with what he saw in the other mans eyes.

"Yes?" he asked tersely, slamming his beer onto the table.

"Nothing" James assured him quickly before adding "I was just wondering why you're sat here when she's out there" he added with a careless shrug. Something in Booths gaze warned him to watch his step so he said no more, disappearing to the other end of the bar.

Booth watched him leave with a dark look in his eyes, James' words only angering him further. He didn't enjoy the knowledge that someone else had been there to witness her leaving...and that evidently they blamed him. The fact that it was his fault only angered Booth further. He was surprised to find he was toying with the poker chip in his pocket, his movements so disjointed from his mind that he hadn't noticed.

He stayed seated for a moment longer before he propelled himself into action. He threw a handful of notes on the bar to cover his beer and headed out, his strides long and sure as he followed in his partners footsteps.

James watched him go, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He had high hopes that the next time he'd be seeing his two favourite customers the 'just partners' spiel would be over. And if it wasn't? Well, he thought with a smirk, maybe he'd take her up on her unspoken invitation. After all she is an incredibly beautiful woman...and he is only human.

**A/N I know it's short...please don't hurt me :P**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Finally I give you...part 3! LOL**

**I apologise...I had this written about 2 weeks a go but I have since rewritten the ending more times than I can remember. I'm still not completely happy with this but it's the best i've got right now! (Damn RL for kicking my ass!).**

**It's also unread and unbeta'd so I apologise for any mistakes etc now. Just ignore them...or yell at me in a review, I don't mind. I mean, a reviews a review right? ;)**

**I'll stop rabbling now and get on with it...enjoy! (Or not...completely up to you!).  
**

Brennan slammed the door of her apartment closed, a curse escaping her lips as she threw her evening bag onto her couch. She stormed through her living room until she reached her bedroom, pulling off her jewellery swiftly while her mind remained locked on the man she had just left. How dare he? What gave him the right to say something so...outrageous to her? She thought to herself angrily as she made her way back from her bedroom. She eyed the couch for a second, contemplating collapsing there for a moment or two but she thought better of it. If she knew her partner (and she could safely say she did) he wouldn't be far behind her and she didn't want to risk her anger dissipating. If she had to face him she needed some kind of defence.

She swung on her heel and entered her kitchen. She had a passing thought to drink a glass of water but she ignored it, instead pulling the refrigerator door open and reaching for a cold beer. She had just popped the cap off when she heard a banging coming from her front door.

"Bones!"

Her eyes narrowed into slits at her partners demanding tone and for a split second she contemplated ignoring him.

"I know you're in here Bones so open the god damn door."

Brennan reached in and grabbed another beer before she closed the fridge with more force than necessary. She was just nearing the front door when another shout greeted her.

"If you don't open this door Bones I'll..."

"You'll do what?" she demanded to know as she swung the door open. "Wake up the rest of my building?"

Booth ignored her and shouldered his way into her apartment, taking the bottle she thrust at him as he passed. He waited until he was stood in the middle of her living room before turning to face her, his body tense as he readied himself for the coming confrontation.

Brennan closed her door shut quietly, resisting the urge to slam it behind him. She turned to face him, her eyes flashing and her body stiff as she tried to keep her emotions somewhat in check.

"What do you want Booth?" she asked into the heavy silence.

"What do i?..." Booth breathed incredulously. "I want to know why you walked out on me without a backwards glance, that's what i want!" he yelled, his hands clenching by his sides as he forced his feet to remain stationary.

"Well we can't always get what we want." Brennan said with a harsh laugh. "You taught me that."

Booths eyes darkened as her words found their target. He took an unconscious step towards her, one hand flexing by his side.

"Well i learnt from the master Bones" he retaliated on a low growl, watching as her own eyes flashed in response.

A heavy silence fell between the duo as they watched each other, neither willing to be the one to break the stalemate. In the end it was Booth who made the first move, placing his beer on the side table before he took another step towards her.

"Tell me why Bones." He demanded, moving the final few inches until he was stood directly in front of her, blocking her in front of the door. "Just why...that's all i want." He repeated, his voice softer now as he was helpless to prevent himself from reacting to her proximity.

At his approach Brennan had tensed further, hating herself for the way his presence could cause her to forget everything else but him. His softly spoken words reminded her of his reason for being there and propelled her into action. She pushed her way past him, putting a safe distance between them before she turned back.

"What you want?" she said with a sneer "I apologise Booth but what you want isn't my focus at the moment. You have the audacity to..." She could feel the anger rising within her again and she fought for focus "to..." she growled in frustration as words escaped her, and her arms moved up to reinforce actions with words. "To do what you did and..." she took a deep breath to steady herself "and say what you said and then you demand to know why i reacted the way i did?" She took another deep breath, one hand clenched by her side and the other still gripping her drink tightly.

Booth watched her as she struggled with her emotions. The guilt returned at the stress he had caused but still he couldn't bring himself to regret the sequence of events that had led them to this point. If he had to do it all again he would. He wasn't sure what that said about him but he couldn't lie, not even to himself. There had been too many lies already.

"I'm not going to apologise for what i did Bones. I'm sorry you're upset but i can't regret it." Booth said, his tone clearing indicating his regret at her response but not at his actions.

"You're unbelievable" Brennan breathed incredulously. "You had no right to do what you did. No right..."

"I'm your partner! I had every right..." Booth interrupted her angrily.

"Yes. My partner. And partners don't gate-crash each others dates and threaten to..."

"He had his hands all over you!" Booth yelled over her, losing what little control he had.

Brennan fell silent at his words, her mind whirling with the implications of this one angry statement. She could feel her heart rate speed up and she cursed herself, frustrated that even a small part of her took some pleasure from his angry words. In the end she reasoned attack was the best form of defence, and she didn't consider the impact her next words would have on the man in front of her.

"Maybe i wanted his hands all over me, did that not enter your mind?" she said recklessly. "Maybe i had been looking forward to spending an evening with a man that wanted me." She took a small step towards him, barely registering the movement. "Desired me." Another small step. "Craved me." As she finished speaking she stopped in front of him, blinking in surprise when she realised she was so close. She cleared her throat and went to take a step back but found herself stopped by two strong hands on her shoulders. She struggled for a second before glaring up at him. "Let me go..." she demanded, her heart beating rapidly at the heat she could see in his eyes.

"No." Booth growled, his mind still flashing with images to go along with her words. Another man touching her. Another man kissing her. Another man making love to her. "No!" he repeated, his voice rising as the images taunted him. He looked down at her, his gaze darkening when he realised just how close she was. Her chest was heaving with barely contained anger and her lips were parted on a shocked gasp. His gaze narrowed on her mouth and he only just resisted the urge to groan as she wet her lips. He lost all focus, his mind thinking about only one thing. If he nudged her, just slightly, he would finally get to remind himself of how she tasted. His mouth watered at the thought and he began to lower his head, desperate to see if she tasted as good as he remembered.

Brennan watched his head lower towards her and was torn. She knew it would be so easy to let his lips touch hers and forget everything else but him. It would be easier and infinitely more pleasurable than any other possibility in front of her. There had been such a distance between them lately that she craved the contact with him but her more rational side, the side she normally led with, was warning her that there was too much between them for his actions to end well for either of them.

She felt his breath on her lips and forced herself to move.

"Booth…" she said as she took a step back from him, hating the hurt she could see flash behind his eyes before he masked it. "You can't just…" she floundered, unsure of what she wanted to say to him. There was so much running through her head that organising her thoughts seemed to be an exercise in futility. There was so much she wanted to say. So much she needed to.

She took another few steps back, relieved to have some distance between herself and her partner. He moved to follow her but she held up a hand signalling him to stay where he was. From the look on his face he was displeased but she was grateful that he did as she asked.

"Tonight you actions were inappropriate." She stated. "Let me finish…" she said as she saw him open his mouth angrily. "I am going to say what I need to and you will listen." Her tone was firm and unyielding leaving Booth with no option but to acquiesce. "Thank you." She smiled gratefully before she schooled her expression once more. She wanted to explain her thoughts clearly and concisely, ensuring that there were no misunderstandings between them. "Tonight you humiliated me and embarrassed yourself. I was spending my evening with a charming, attractive and attentive man until you interrupted with the aim of bringing the date to a premature end. Which you achieved." She added, unable to completely mask the anger in her voice. She took a deep breath before continuing. "You then proceeded to provoke the man accompanying me by acting like an irrationally jealous former lover, implying more to our relationship than is true." Her tone was clinical as she relayed the facts as she saw them. "When you had succeeded in provoking him you threatened to arrest him for assaulting a Federal Officer."

"He _did_ insult a Federal Officer" Booth burst out, unable to hold his tongue any longer. She was making it sound so…simple. And it was anything but.

"He shoved you Booth!" Brennan took a step towards him, her voice now anything but clinical. "Because you wouldn't leave it alone. You pushed and pushed until he gave you the reaction you wanted so you could go all 'Alpha Male' on him. You pushed him until he realised I wasn't worth it and left!" She was mortified to realise there were tears in her eyes, and she blinked them away rapidly. "And for what Booth? Do you even know why you did it? Do you have any idea? Because I've spent the last few hours trying to make sense of it and I still don't understand."

Booth felt himself frozen in place. He could see she was desperately trying to fight back the tears and for the first time that evening he felt guilt. And shame.

"You're my partner" he heard himself whisper, the only response he could conjure in the face of her pain and anger. He winced when she laughed, the sound harsh and unforgiving to his ears.

"Partner?" She questioned. That one word angered her beyond measure but she was pleased with the affect it had. The tears dried and she stood tall, not one ounce of emotions showing on her face. A part of her already regretted her next words but she needed to say them. "Partner. We are partners, aren't we Booth?" she asked rhetorically. She could see the confusion on his face at her words but she continued. She knew eventually he would understand their relevance. "We're good people that catch bad people." She took a small step towards him. "We argue. It goes back and forth and we're _partners_." She stressed the last word. She could see understanding dawn on his face followed by a flash of pain but she ignored it. "Sometime…" Another small step. "Sometimes we even come here and celebrate. That's what we do, we celebrate." A final step put her directly in front of him. "That's all we are and that's all we do. No more. No less. That was your ultimatum to me, remember Booth? That was all you could give me. And it hurt but I accepted it." She stopped talking and stepped around him. Booth was rooted to the spot. Her words reverberated around his head and he tried to make sense of them. Hearing his own words repeated back to him hurt more than he had thought. Not because of what they meant then but because of what he feared they meant now. He forced himself to turn and face her, his eyes widening when he saw her standing by the now open door, holding it open. He breached the gap between them, standing in the doorway as he faced her.

"You seem particularly fond of ultimatums of late Booth so I'm giving you one of my own. I refuse to spend the rest of my life alone. Maybe before you I could have lived my life that way. Before you I wouldn't have known any different but now…" she sighed wearily "now I want a life with someone for as long as it lasts, whether it's one year or fifty."

Without Booth realising it she had manoeuvred him so he was on the other side of the door. He had been so engrossed in her words that he hadn't noticed that he was now standing in the hallway.

"I still…" she paused, considering the wisdom of her words. In the end she decided to reveal all. After everything she had said it felt ridiculous to withhold anything else. "I still care for you Booth and I know you were hurt. I know you were angry. I also know I was partly to blame for that." Her eyes revealed her sorrow at the pain she had caused him…past and present. "But you need to make a decision. Either you decide that you want a relationship with me. Me." She reiterated, tapping her free hand on her chest. "Or you decide that you want to remain partners. Just partners." She repeated firmly. "And partners don't show jealously when their partner dates someone. Partners don't stand in the way of their partner working toward a life with someone. Partners don't try and kiss each other." She whispered the last sentence, thinking back to what had almost happened moments before. "You need to decide what it is you want Booth. And it's ok if you don't want me, I'll understand." A sad smile crossed her face at that but she needed him to understand that. "I just need to know once and for all. We both do…so we can do what we do best and move on."

They stared at each other in silence. Brennan was fighting back the panic, aware of the possibility that she may have ruined their friendship completely but unable to regret it. Maybe she had said too much. Maybe she had been too honest with him but they had been tip toeing around each other for so long that it was a relief to actually talk to him. Really truly talk to him.

Booth felt dumbfounded. He was struggling to understand how things had gone so wrong. His decision to interrupt his partners date had seemed so…harmless. When Angela had revealed (with a smile on her face) that Brennan was going out to dinner with some scientist smuck he hadn't been able to help it. He had been angry…angry at her for trying to move on and angry at himself for caring. And before he knew it he had been pumping Angela for information. The where, the when, the who. She had taken great pleasure in regaling him with all the information he asked for. How Brennan had met him at a book signing two weeks ago. How this was their fourth date and that she planned on taking him back to her place for 'coffee'. As Angela had informed him of that little tit bit she had smirked, well aware that both of them knew what 'coffee' meant. She had taken a little too much pleasure in watching his eyes darken and fists clench before he had stalked out, one thing and one thing only on his mind.

But now? Now he was seriously regretting his actions. It had gone so wrong so quickly and he didn't know what to do to fix it. He forced himself to look at Brennan and his heart broke at the expression on her face. She looked so…lost. So sad. He wanted to remove that look from her face but he didn't know if he could. He took an unconscious step back, from both his own feelings and hers. Pain flitted across her face before a resigned look replaced it. She smiled softly at him before letting the door go, her smile remaining fixed on her face until it was shut. She turned the lock in the door, the quiet click it made sounding like a bullet in her silent apartment. She laid her head against the door, her eyes closing tightly as she fought for control. A tear slid down her cheek despite her efforts and she let it fall, too drained to do anything to prevent it.

Booth watched the door shut slowly, doing nothing to prevent it. Unsure if he wanted too. He stared at her closed door, relieved despite everything to hear the click indicating she had locked it. He stared for a moment before turning to leave, his feet taking him halfway down the corridor before he stopped. He spun on his heel and strode back to her apartment, fist formed to knock on the door. He froze, fighting with himself. The hand poised to knock unclenched and he laid his palm on the door, his head falling forward until it rested against the wood. With a tired sigh he turned and lowered himself to the floor, resting back as he tried desperately to make sense of everything he had heard.

Two hours later Booth dragged himself up from the floor, rubbing his now numb backside absentmindedly as he stood. He took a step away and turned, eyeing the door with a wary eye. He shifted on his feet for a moment before he stood up straight and squared his shoulders, a determined looking coming into his eyes. He knew what he wanted.

Brennan drained her glass of water and placed in back on her table, her movements slow and sluggish. She was laid on her couch and had been since her partner had left. She had a passing thought that she should retire to her bedroom but she couldn't bring herself to move. She was running through everything that had happened and was coming to regret revealing so much. She was terrified that she had ruined both her friendship and her partnership and, if that turned out to be true, she had no idea what she would do.

A loud knock on her door brought her out of her musings and she glanced at her watch. Seeing the hour she frowned, unsure who would be calling on her so late. She made herself stand and walk to the door, peering through the peep hole to check who it was first. A soft gasp left her lips when she saw the person on the other side. She unlocked the door quickly and swung it open.

Silence surrounded them as they stared at one another, neither sure what to say. Booth took a small step towards her, his movements wary and unsure. He had so much to say but he found himself unable to find the words he needed, the weight of what may be heavy on his shoulders. He took another step towards her, his eyes dark and intense as he studied her face, trying to gauge her mood. He could see the remnants of the tears that had fallen and cursed himself for causing her pain…again.

His fingers itched to touch her and for once he allowed himself the freedom, his movements cautious as he raised one hand to cup her cheek. When she didn't turn away he let one finger stroke her face softly, her skin smooth and silky to the touch. He inched closer until there was only a hairs breath between them, the words he needed eluding him. He tried to convey what he felt through his eyes, keeping them locked on hers as he leant forward, resting his forehead gently on hers.

No sound could be heard from the couple, their eyes still locked as the silence surrounded them. Booth was fighting back the panic, willing Brennan to say something...anything to break the tension between them but she remained silent. She returned his gaze, studying him, searching for something. Whatever it was, Booth thought as he watched her watching him, she must have found it because she did the one thing that calmed him. The one thing that made him think that maybe, just maybe, they had a chance.

She smiled.


End file.
